Portable power driven conveyor



S. J. VERBAN PORTABLE POWER DRIVEN CONVEYOR Feb. 2, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed April 23, 1962 SW'EPHEM A ATTORNEYS S. J. VERBAN PORTABLE POWERDRIVEN CONVEYOR Feb. 2, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 23, 1962 R mmNA m e V H E H p u S ATTORNEY5 Feb. 2, 1965 5. J. VERBAN 3,163,188

PORTABLE POWER DRIVEN CONVEYOR Filed April 25, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3INVENTOR i-rapuzu lVEzBAu ATTORNEYS Feb. 2, 1965 5. J. VERBAN 3,168,188

PORTABLE POWER DRIVEN CONVEYOR Filed April 25, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4INVENTOR 85 STEPHEN JVEQBAM f m @wm ATTORNEKS United States PatentOfiiice 3,168,188 Patented Feb. 2, 1965 3,168,188 PURTABLE POWER DRIVENCONVEYDR Stephen J. Verban, 1326 N. Kickapoo St., Lincoln, ill. FiledApr. 23, 1962, Ser. No. 189,6ii3 Claims. (Cl. 198-413) This inventionrelates to power driven conveyors and more particularly to a small,folding conveyor capable of being transported and used in areas oflimited space, such as private homes, small apartment buildings andsmallsized commercial buildings.

Civil defense needs have resulted in an expanded and highly urgentprogram for the b-uiding of fallout shelters in homes, small apartmentsand small commercial buildtings. A variety of types of shelters havebeen designed but the trend has been to a prefabricated shelter built inone corner of an existing basement. The preferred shelter is one whichis built of hollow, prefabricated metal panels which are erected againstone existing wall of a basernent. These panels are connected edge toedge to form the wall of an enclosure, this wall extending to withinapproximately ten inches of the basement ceiling or floor joists. Thesehollow panels are then filled with loose sand. A roof is constructedover the wall panels and usually a layer of sand is placed between theroof panels and the ceiling of the basement.

The wall panels require a large volume of sand and the handling of thesand and transfer thereof to the upper edge of the wall panels hascreated a susb-tanti-al logistical problem. Since the shelters arelargely being built in existing construction, the easy access of heavyequipment is not possible as it is in the case of new construction. Inmany cases access to the basement may be had only by narrow doorways andStairways and small basement windows, and any equipment used in theconstruction project must be capable of clearing the tight turns andnarrow passageways leading to the basement.

Portable conveyors have been known in .the art for many years but noneof the known conveyors are capable of the work load involved in theconstruction of basernent fallout shelters while at the same time beingcornpaot and maneuverable enough that they can be transported through abuilding, down basement stairs and then be used in the narrow confinesof the basement area.

It is an object of the invention to provide a conveyor of relativelylarge capacity which can be folded into a cornpact assembly capable ofnavigating tight turns in building passageways.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conveyor of largecapacity which is particularly adapted to the filling of verticallydisposed hollow panels which extend in close proximity to a basementceiling.

A further object of the invention is to provide a conveyor which isprovided with wheels and specially located handle means whereby theconveyor in folded condition may be transported by one man, and which isfurther provided with auxiliary handle means so that the folded conveyormay be lifted and carried with ease by two men when clearances do notpermit the transport of the con veyor on its wheels.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a conveyor which maybe folded and unfolded without complex adjustments and withoutdisconnecting the conveyor belt or loss of tension adjustment.

A further object is to provide an adjustable support for the outer framesection of the conveyor when it is in unfolded, extended position and ameans (for supporting the lower end of the conveyor to preventundesirable translation of the conveyor when it is in use and also, ifdesired, to raise the lower end of the conveyor a nominal distance.

Another object of the invention is to provide a conveyor with animproved, floating belt cleaner which cleans the back of the belt,preventing clogging of pulleys, wheels and other moving parts with sandor other material.

With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent asthe nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists inthe novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and particularlyclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, like reference numerals indicate likeparts in the several views, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the conveyor of the present inventionshowing the conveyor in position for actual use and supported by itstelescopic post support;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the conveyor in folded condition with itstelescopic supporting post removed and prepared for ready transport;

'FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the conveyor in unfoldedcondition ready for actual use;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the conveyor taken on the line 44 ofFIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in longitudinalsection, taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3, and further showing in dottedline the manner in which the upper section folds down upon the lowersection of the conveyor;

FIG. 5A is a fragmentary view of the upper end of the conveyor,completing the view of FIG. 5 which was shortened because of thelimitation of space, and showing the detail of the tension adjustingmeans for the belt, this view being taken on the line 5A5A of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a transverse section taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary, isometric showing of the frame and bolt detailsat the hinge joint of the conveyor;

FIG 8 is an isometric View showing the conveyor being transported by twomen in a confined area;

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the conveyor being handled by one man innormal transport;

FIG. 10 is an perspective view of the conveyor in actual use inconstruction of a fallout shelter; and

FIG. 11 is an isometric view of an additional support which is used whendesired.

In the drawings, the reference numerals 20 and 21 indicate lower andupper frame sections respectively of the folding conveyor. The lowersection has a main trough 22 which extends the full length of the lowersection. A second and shorter backing trough 23 is secured back-to-backwith the main trough 22. The upper frame section has a correspondingmain trough 22a and a corresponding back-to-back trough 23a. Thecross-sectional shape of these troughs is best shown in FIG. 6. Each ofthe main troughs has a bottom wall 24, side walls 25 and outwardlyangled flanges 26. Each of the backing troughs has a bottom wall 27 andside walls 28. Portions of the bottom walls 24 and 27 may be cut away tolighten the structure.

At spaced points the side walls 25 and 28 are joined by short angle ironcleats 29 which stiffen the frame receive a bolt 32. When the conveyoris in unfolded,

extended position these bolts 32 are drawn tight to fasten together thelower and upper frame sections. The bolts 32 are removed when the framesections are to be folded.

The outwardly angled flanges 2b of the lower frame section 29 areprovided with ears 33 which have longitudinally projecting portions 34which extend beyond the end of the lower frame section. The outwardlyangled flanges 26 on the upper frame section have at the extreme lowerend of the section ears 35 which also have projecting portions 36 thatextend beyond the end of the upper section. The ears 33 and 35 and theirprojections are laterally offset so that they overlap in close relation.Hinge bolts 37 extend through the projections 34 and 35 respectively oneach side of the conveyor and when the conveyor is folded as shown inFIG. 5, the bolts 32 are withdrawn and the sections pivot about thebolts 37;

At the lower end of the lower frame section are side plates 38 and 39.These plates project downwardly to carry an axle 40. The axle40 carriesground wheels 41. The plates 38 and 39 carry bearing blocks 42. In theseblocks are journaled the shaft 43 of'a conveyor drive roller 44.

The upper end of the upper frame section is provided on each side withside plates 45; These plates are slotted as at 46, and'have guide strips47. Between these guide strips move the slide plates'ds. Bolted to theslide plates are bearing blocks 49. In theseblocks are journaled anupper conveyorroller shaft for a roller 51. Each side plate 40 isprovided with lugs 52 which are drilled to receivethreaded shafts 53.These shafts are elongated and have their upper ends welded to the slideplates 48. Nuts 54 on opposite sides of the lugs provide a means foraxial movement to an adjusted fixed position of the slide plates 48.This causes the roller shaft 50 and roller 51 to be adjustable and thetension of the belt may thereby beregulated.

Secured to the side cleats 29 at the hinge joint of the sections 20 and21 are handles 55. When the conveyor is folded, these handles projectbeyond'the frame, so that the conveyor may be portable on its wheels inwheelbarrow-like manner.

An endless, flexible belt 56 is stretched between the drive roller 44and the upper roller 51. This belt has cleats 57 fastened thereto atspaced intervals. At the lower end of the conveyor is formed a feedhopper, comprising a transverse wall 58 and side walls 59. To preventsand from drifting down into the drive roller 44 a flexible apron 64) ofresilient material extends transversely of the conveyor belt at thefootof wall 58 of the hopper; This flexible apron flexes as the cleats 57move by it but rebounds into engagement with the belt 56 to prevent sanddrift.

At the lower end of the lower frame section is a large plate 6 1-thatsupports. the conveyor drive mechanism. The drive includes an electricmotor 62 that carries a relatively small drive pulleyi63. The platefurther carries pillow blocks 64 for an idler shaft 65. The idler shaft65 carries at one end the large pulley and a smaller pulley 67, bothkeyed to the idler shaft. The end of thedrive shaft 43 has keyed theretoa relatively large drive pulley68. Belts 69 and '70 complete thereduction drive system, the ratio of the pulleys making a substantialreduction in speed of the drive shaft 43 as compared with the speed ofthe drive motor.

jects upwardly, forming both a handle and a storage reel or cleat forwinding the motor cord 74 thereon.

For convenient control of the drive mechanism for the conveyor belt, thelarge plate 61 has an electric switch 75 mounted thereon.

In order to prevent material from stocking to the back of the belt 56, acleat 76 is secured to the main trough 22 of the lower frame section.Secured to the cleat 76 and extending diagonally of the belt 56 is a bar77 which carries the resilient clean ng strip 78. This bar is pivotallymounted on the cleat 76 so that there is a floating action of the bar,enabling the resilient cleaning strip to follow the undulations of thebelt.

For supporting the conveyor during use, the upper frame section 21 isprovided on opposite sides with the strips 79 which project below theframe. An upper post 80 is provided with ears 81 which are spaced andsuitably drilled to cooperate with openings drilled in the lower ends ofthe strips 79. Suitable bolts fasten the ears 81 to the strips 79 sothat the post 86 is pivotally attached. A lower post section 82 slideswithin the upper post 80 and is provided with spaced holes 83. A pin 84permits suitable adjustment of the telescopic upper post and lower postsection. The said lower post section carries the ground plate 85. I v

For certain situations there is also provided a removable additionalsupport 86. This support has spaced side plates 83, these plates beingso positioned that they fall just inside of V the ground wheels,adjacent the hubs. Notches 88 in the plates receive the axle 46. Crossbraces 89 tie the side plates together. This support not only preventsthe conveyor from rolling on its ground wheels during actual use, butenables the entire conveyor to be raised to a better working height.

Operation it is efficiently organized, is a very fast operation, the

conveyor is in transport from job to job' a good portion of the time.The folding of the conveyor, therefore, in the present inventionprovides a capability efficiently suited to the need. The bolts holdingthe post 80 are Removable top panel 71 and side panel 72 protect thedrive mechanism against damage and dirt. Secured to the large plate 61is a rectangular lower handle 73. This handle is fastened to the plateat its lower end and proremoved, and two frame bolts 32 are likewiseremoved. The upper frame. section 21 is then folded forwardlyanddownwardly until the section rests on the lower frame section 20. Thecord for the motor is wrapped around the handle 73. Without any furtherdisassembly the device is in condition to be transported by one man asshown in FIG. 9. Very little strain is involved and the compact packagemay be easily maneuvered. The wheels 41 are made large enough that anystair tread may be passed over without engagement of the frame with thestairs.

If narrow tight turns arefound and the device may not be manipulated asshown in FIG. 9, then an additional man may grasp the handle 73, and thecompact unit may be easily tilted, twisted and maneuvered topass thetighest clearances.

When the conveyor is on location in the basement area, the sections areunfolded and the post quickly attached and adjusted to the workingheight of the panels, as shown in FIG. 10, by means of the pin 84. Theswitch 75 is thrown on and the drive motor 62 through the speedreduction arrangement of the belts 69 and 7t) drives the roller 44 at arelatively slow speed. 'T he top reach of the belt 56 travels upwardly,and the cleats 57 traveling through the hopper pick up a shallow portionof material and transport it to the dumping position at the top of theconveyor. This shallow layer falls into the hollow panels withoutundesirable spillage and operates without difficulty in the closeclearances between the top of the panels and the ceiling of thebasement.

If desired, instead of wheel chocks, the support 86 may be slipped underthe axle 40. This raises the height of the conveyor to some degree,which can be helpful in certain basement areas.

While there are herein shown and described the preferred embodiments ofthe invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changesmay be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable conveyor including an elongated, relatively shallow lowerframe section, an upper frame section of similar depth in alignmenttherewith and pivotally connected to the upper end of said lower framesection for pivoting forwardly and downwardly upon said lower framesection to fold said conveyor, said upper frame section being shorterthan said lower frame section, .a drive roller and an idler roller atopposite ends of said conveyor, a flexible, endless belt having itsupper reach supported on said frame sections, said belt being stretchedbetween said drive roller and said idler roller, means for driving saiddrive roller, wheel means at the lower end of said lower frame section,the axis of said wheel means being relatively close to said lower framesection, and handle means on the upper end of said lower frame sectionextending beyond said upper end of said lower frame section whereby whensaid conveyor is folded the handles will be exposed for transport of theconveyor.

2. A portable conveyor including an elongated, relatively shallow lowerframe section, an upper frame section of similar depth in alignmenttherewith and pivotally connected to the upper end of said lower framesection for pivoting forwardly and downwardly upon said lower framesection to fold said conveyor, said upper frame section being shorterthan said lower frame section, a drive roller and an idler roller atopposite ends of said conveyor, a flexible, endless belt having itsupper reach supported on said frame sections, said belt being stretchedbetween said drive roller and said idler roller, means for driving saiddrive roller, wheel means at the lower end of said lower frame section,the axis of said wheel means being relatively close to said lower framesection, handle means on the upper end of said lower frame sectionextending beyond said upper end of said lower frame section whereby whensaid conveyor is folded the handles will be exposed for transport of theconveyor, and a second additional handle means at the lower end of saidlower frame section.

3. A portable conveyor including an elongated, relatively shallow lowerframe section, an upper frame section of similar depth in alignmenttherewith and pivotally connected to the upper end of said lower framesection for pivoting fonvardiy and downwardly upon said lower framesection to fold said conveyor, said upper frame section being shorterthan said lower frame section, a drive roller and an idler roller atopposite ends of said conveyor, a flexible, endless belt having itsupper reach supported on said frame sections, said belt being stretchedbetween said drive roller and said idler roller, an electric motor onthe lower end of said lower frame section rotatably connected to saiddrive roller, wheel means at the lower end of said lower frame section,said wheel means having its axis relatively close to said lower framesection, handle means on the upper end of said lower frame sectionextending beyond said upper end of said lower frame section whereby whensaid conveyor is folded the handles will be exposed for transport of theconveyor, and a second additional handle means at the lower end of saidlower frame section, said second handle means including spaced portionsextending transversely of the longitudinal axis of said conveyor wherebysaid additional handle means also serves as a wrapping cleat for theelectrical cord of said motor.

4. A portable conveyor including an elongated, relatively shallow lowerframe section, an upper frame section of similar depth in alignmenttherewith and pivotally connected to the upper end of said lower framesection for pivoting forwardly and downwardly upon said lower framesection to fold said conveyor, said upper frame section being shorterthan said lower frame section, the side walls of said upper and lowerframe sections including upwardly extending material guide flanges, saidpivotal connection including overlapping ears on said guide flanges atthe abutting ends of said lower and upper frame sections, pivot boltsextending through each set of ears respectively, releasable means at thelower edge of said side walls at said abutting ends for fastening theconveyor in extended position, a drive roller and an idler roller atopposite ends of said conveyor, a flexible, endless belt having itsupper reach supported on said frame sections between said guide flanges,said belt being stretched between said drive roller and said idlerroller, means for driving said drive roller, wheel means at the lowerend of said lower frame section, the axis of said wheel means beingrelatively close to the said lower frame section, and handle means onthe upper end of said lower frame section extending beyond said upperend of said section whereby when said conveyor is folded the handleswill be exposed for transport of the conveyor.

5. A portable conveyor as set forth in claim 4 which further includes asecond and additional handle means at the lower end of said lower framesection.

6. A portable conveyor including an elongated, relatively shallow lowerframe section, an upper frame section of similar depth in alignmenttherewith and pivotally connected to the upper end of said lower framesection for pivoting forwardly and downwardly upon said lower framesection to fold said conveyor, said upper frame section being shorterthan said lower frame section, the said walls of said upper and lowerframe sections including upwardly extending material guide flanges, saidpivotal connection including overlapping ears on said guide flanges atthe abutting ends of said lower and upper frame sections, pivot boltsextending through each set of cars respectively, releasable means at thelower edge of said side walls at said abutting ends for fastening theconveyor in extended position, a drive roller at the lower end of saidlower frame section and an idler roller at the upper end of said upperframe section, a flexible endless belt having its upper reach supportedon said frame sections between said guide flanges, said belt beingstretched between said drive roller and said idler roller, power meansat the lower end of said lower frame section for driving said driveroller, a feed hopper adjacent the lower end of said lower framesection, wheel means at the lower end of said lower frame section, theaxis of said wheel means being relatively close to said lower framesection, and handle means on the upper end of said lower frame sectionextending beyond said upper end of said section whereby when saidconveyor is folded the handles will be exposed for transport of theconveyor.

7. A portable conveyor as set forth in claim 6 which further includes asecond and additional handle means at the lower end of said lower framesection.

8. A portable conveyor as set forth in claim 6, wherein a flexible,resilient strip depends from the bottom of said feed hopper and engagesthe top face of said endless belt whereby material will be preventedfrom spilling down the conveyor from the feed hopper onto said powermeans.

9. A portable conveyor, including an elongated, relatively shallow lowerframe section, an upper frame section of similar depth in alignmenttherewith and pivotally connected to the upper end of said lower framesection for pivoting forwardly and downwardly upon said lower framesection to fold said conveyor, a drive roller and an idler roller atopposite ends of said conveyor, a flexible, endless belt having itsupper reach supported on said frame sections, said belt being stretchedbetween said drive roller and said idler roller, means for driving saiddrive roller, wheel means at the lower end of said lower frame section,handle means on the upper end of said 7 lower frame section extendingbeyond said upperend of said section whereby when said conveyor isfolded the handles will be exposed for transport of the conveyor,

and a scraper member supported on said frame in engagement with theinside face of said endless belt for keeping 5 said face free ofadhering material.

10. A portable conveyor as set forth in claim 9, wherein said scraper issupported for floating movement where by it will follow the undulatingmovements of said belt.

References Qited by the Examiner FOREIGN PATENTS 35,543 3/30 France.354,077 8/ 31 Great Britain. 948,816 8/49 France.

ERNEST A. FALLER, Primary Examiner. WILLIAM BL LA BORDE, Examiner.

2. A PORTABLE CONVEYOR INCLUDING AN ELONGATED, RELATIVELY SHALLOW LOWERFRAME SECTION, AN UPPER FRAME SECTION OF SIMILAR DEPTH IN ALIGNMENTTHEREWITH AND PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE UPPER END OF SAID LOWER FRAMESECTION FOR PIVOTING FORWARDLY AND DOWNWARDLY UPON SAID LOWER FRAMESECTION TO FOLD SAID CONVEYOR, SAID UPPER FRAME SECTION BETWEEN SHORTERTHAN SAID LOWER FRAME SECTION, A DRIVE ROLLER AND AN IDLER ROLLER ATOPPOSITE ENDS OF SAID CONVEYOR, A FLEXIBLE, ENDLESS BELT HAVING ITSUPPER REACH SUPPORTED ON SAID FRAME SECTIONS, SAID BELT BEING STRETCHEDBETWEEN SAID DRIVE ROLLER AND SAID IDLER ROLLER, MEANS FOR DRIVING SAIDDRIVE ROLLER, WHEEL MEANS AT THE LOWER END OF SAID LOWER FRAME SECTION,THE AXIS OF SAID WHEEL MEANS BEING RELATIVELY CLOSE TO SAID LOWER FRAMESECTION, HANDLE MEANS ON THE UPPER END OF SAID LOWER FRAME SECTIONEXTENDING BEYOND SAID UPPER END OF SAID LOWER FRAME SECTION WHEREBY WHENSAID CONVEYOR IS FOLDED THE HANDLES WILL BE EXPOSED FOR TRANSPORT OF THECONVEYOR, AND A SECOND ADDITIONAL HANDLE MEANS AT THE LOWER END OF SAIDLOWER FRAME SECTION.